Mississippi John Hurt - "The Candy Man"

A number of great bluesmen were rediscovered in the late 1950s and 1960s, including Son House, Robert Pete Williams, Bukka White, Skip James and more, and all met with great and deserved success with audiences who weren't even born when these men made their first recordings. But the most unique and beloved of these great men was "Mississippi" John Hurt.

Mississippi John Hurt literally invented the finger style picked guitar, a technique later picked up by country artist Merle Travis who popularized it in the country field. Unlike many of the old blues men, Hurt sang a mixed bag of material, with equal emphasis on religious songs, old folk standards and traditional songs given his unique treatment, as well as popular songs by others. He loved a song that told a story. He loved songs with humor and songs of love. Any song that might touch or pull at your heart strings. Most of the songs John heard or wrote in his hometown of Avalon, Mississippi as a child and young man "Candy Man", "Avalon My Home Town", "Make Me a Pallet On Your Floor", and many more hark back to earlier times in the 1920s. But this is timeless music, it sounds as modern as anything you will hear on your radio today and will undoubtedly outlive most of that music for many decades to come.

This rare live recording took place in the mid 1960s at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, and was a very special occasion, consisting of two sets each by both Son House and Mississippi John Hurt. An audience of nearly four thousand college students attended this once in a lifetime show. Son House opened the show with tales of his checkered life followed by the legendary Mississippi John Hurt. His singing and guitar playing were never less brilliant and his beautiful conversation between songs to the audience made each person feel as though he was speaking intimately and only to them alone. Hurt received a five minute standing ovation. He then returned to the stage and performed several more numbers and attempted to leave once more. The audience would not have it. With tears of joy in his eyes he returned once again for several more numbers. Justice was served! After many years of being forgotten, all the love and adulation and respect that John Hurt should have had for so long were at last his and the cup runneth over.

These are collector's recordings that we know you will treasure for many years to come.